The Irish standard., 1887-07-30
Mr., DAYITT MEANS FIGHT.
In an Address to Scotch Home Rulers
He Declares for Resistance
to Evictions.
THE FATHER OF THE LEAGUE
Denounees General Armed Opposition to
the Forces Of the Grown as
Simple Madness.

MI. Michael Davitt. who spoke al
Oban July 5, de]iyereda an address in the
st. Andrews Hall at Glasgow July 6
The meeting was under the auspices OF
the Glasgow Junior Liberal Association
and the Local Home Government
Branch Of the Irish National League oi
Great Britain. There WAS a large at
tendance in the hall, q building capable
Of accommodating 1000 persons, and on
the platform were Mr.. Alexander
McDougall, OF the Scottish National
Liberal Association, and many other
leading Liberals.
Mr.. Angus Sutherland, III. T., pre-
sided.
Bai]lie Tillshill moved that this meet
ing, under the auspices Of the Glasgow
Junior Liberal Association and the
Home Government Branch OF the Nj
tional League. approves of the conduct
OF the tenants Of Dodyke and elsewhere
in ireland in resisting eviction for nom
payment Of impossible rents.
TIE Rev. MI. CruikshanEs, Presby-
terrain clergyman, seconded the reso|u~
ton,
Mr.. Davitt spoke to the resolution.
Never before, perhaps. did the popular
Irishman receive such warm welcome
in Scotland. He said-Some among our
Irish leaders have felt constrained to
dissociate themselves from language Of
mine used during the eviction scenes az
Bodyke--
A Voice--Cleers for Bodyke (oud
cheers(.
Mr. Davitt,- Under the fear that the
alleged violence of my words might
frighten friends Of the Irish cause in
Great Britain. find 10 fault with any
such apprehension when honestly enter
tanned; but in reply must be permit
ted to say that when nay present critics
were knowingly OF igncrant]y doing
their best by word and act manifestlY
to ALLEVIATE the sympathy of the British
democracy I held all independent
course, refused to exchange the support
of the industrial classes of England,
Scotland, and Wales for the will-o'-the~
wisp political friendship of Churchill
and his Tory gang {cheers). believed
in 1885, as believe now, in the sincerity
of British democratic sympathy for Ire
land, and am firmly convinced that
neither nny language at Bodyke nor the
resolute resistance offered by the people
to the Tory landlord burglar brigade
will ALLEVIATE the support Of one single
sincere support ter Of the Irish cause on
this side of the Channel icheers) Nay,
more. Will even be daring enough to
assert that it was the fierce light Of pub
licity which Was flung upon the bru~
talities perpetrated by landlord greed
and Tory externinating policy in Be-
dyke which largely Influenced the voters
of the Spalding Division to spurn the
candidate who represented the land
lords eviction party (oud cheers). Z
will venture even further, and say shat
| have known the British working class
es much longer and equally as we'll as
do my friendly critics Of the National
League; and am confident that instead
of their seeing anything to be alarmed
about in the tactics of Bodyke, they have
recogniz ed in the action taken there an
enormous service rendered to the cause
of true land reform, and blow struck
in defence of the principle of home
stead law which will tell against the
curse of land monopoly in Great Britain
almost as much as against the same
social injustice in Ireland (cheers). Mr..
Davitt, having stated the facts CON
nected with the evictions at Bodyke,
proceeded-We have submitted to those
legal crimes of eviction too tamely and
too long (cheers): and if mistake not,
in consequence Of the spirit which the
fight for the homes Of Bodyks has
aroused throughout Ireland, we shall
soon see passive resistance changed to
active national resistance before the
homesteads Of our people are tumbled
down and taken possession of by the
legalized barglary of Irish landlordism
loud cheers). I am aware it is an Of
fence against the law, defiance Of es.
.ab1ished authority, and a procedure
which will entail the punishment of i'm
upon all who either act upon
it or advise its adoption. Owing to this
latter penalty being the sure reward of
resistance even to a manifestly unjust
act, some prominent members of the
National League are strongly averse to
such policy. Well, ''passive" resist
ance has been the watchword and policy |
N Ireland for the last five years. Under
ts influence few landlords have been
:uined, and percentage of rent reduc-
ions, obtained from others, but what
'ays the other side of the balance sheet !? !
III